Pregnancy and Arimidex: An Overview
Arimidex® (
anastrozole) is not considered safe for women who are pregnant. In animal studies that looked at the effects of Arimidex during pregnancy, the drug caused miscarriages and other problems.
Arimidex and Pregnancy Category X
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a pregnancy category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category X is given to medicines that show problems to the fetus in animal studies or in humans who have taken the medicine.
This medication was given a pregnancy Category X rating because of problems in animal studies. When given to pregnant rats and rabbits, the drug increased the risk of miscarriages and delayed development (delayed hardening of the bones and low fetal weight).
The manufacturer of Arimidex recommends that healthcare providers make sure their patients are not pregnant before starting treatment. It is important to note that Arimidex is not approved for premenopausal women and is not expected to provide any benefit for cancer treatment in premenopausal women.
